FLORA is the Roman Goddess of flowers. Floralia, the festival held in her honor at the end of April, marked the renewal of the cycle of the year, the time when the flowers began to bloom again in Rome. It was celebrated with much dancing and revelry. Originally, Flora was the Goddess of flowering crops only, such as grains and fruit trees, but over time became associated with all flowering plants. Where she walks, flowers spring up. In one myth, she gives a magical flower to Juno, Queen of the Gods, which allowed her to conceive the God Mars without help from a man. Flora's name, logically, means "flower", and it has survived to this day as a synonym for all plant life; alternate names for her include FLORA RUSTICA (Flora the Countrywoman or Flora of the Countryside), and FLORA MATER (Flora the Mother).